Refrigerator seal



April 1965 D. F. REAHARD 3,178,778

REFRIGERATOR SEAL Filed Oct. 10. 1961 IIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIII'III'IIIIIII'III INVENTOR. DANIEL F. PEAHAED 3W, 5W, Hm M ATTOENEYi United States Patent 3,178,773 REFRIGERATOR SEAL Daniel F. Reahard, Seymour, Ind, assignor to lhe H. Canfield Company, Inc, Bridgeport, Conn, 21 corporation of Connecticut Filed Get, 10, 1961, Ser. No. 144,205 Claims. (Cl. 20-69) This invention relates to resilient gaskets formed of plastic material, and more particularly to gaskets for effecting a compressive seal between two relatively movable members. While gaskets embodying the invention may advantageously be employed for various purposes, they provide exceptional advantages when used in refrigerators between the door and the cabinet, and hence they will be dis cussed in connection with such use.

For best results, a gasket for this purpose should perform several functions and satisfy several important requirements. It should cushion the door on closing, prevent passage of air through the junction between the door and the cabinet after the door has been closed, and provide heat insulation at such junction. It should perform these functions even though there are irregularities in the surfaces of either or both the door and the cabinet at the junction; such irregularities result from ordinary refrigerator manufacturing operations and cannot be avoided without excessive costs.

Moreover, the sealing gasket should provide an effective seal and heat barrier, notwithstanding surface irregularities, despite the fact that when the door is closed and opened the gasket in the vicinity of the hinge is subjected to forces extending transversely of the gasket which tend to impart a wiping action to the gasket. This condition is more pronounced when the hinge support for the door is one in which the axis of the hinge pivot is substantially offset from the plane of the cabinet surface to be contacted and sealed by the gasket, as is usually the case in modern refrigerators; these transverse forces and the tendency toward the wiping action occur because, as the door approaches its closed position, the offset pivot axis causes the gasket-supporting surface of the door in the vicinity of the hinge to move transversely of the surface of the cabinet against which the gasket is to press. Such ransverse movement may approach 50% of the prependicular movement during the last few degrees of swinging movement of the door on closing. Unless special precautions are taken, as in the gasket of the invention, the sealing wall of the gasket in the vicinity of the hinge will wrinkle or become abraded; its sealing and heat insulation actions will be largely if not completely impaired.

Despite adverse factors such as the above indicated irregularities in the refrigerator surface to be sealed and the transverse movement of the door in the vicinity of the hinged portion of the refrigerator, the gasket should effectively perform its cushioning, sealing and heat insulating functions even under very low sealing pressures. This requirement arises because of the need to make modern refrigerators so that they can be opened by a small force exerted on the interior of the refrigerator door, to insure against hazards of children being trapped inside the refrigerator.

In addition to all of the above, the gasket should maintain its resiliency, and should rapidly recover its uncompressed shape when the refrigerator door is opened, throughout a long life, so that it can fully perform the above indicated functions for a long period of use without replacement. It is also necessary that the gasket should be capable of manufacture and installation at competitive low costs.

It is an object of the invention to provide a gasket of 3,178,778 Paitented Apr. 20, 1965 the tubular air-filled type which can satisfy all of the above requirements. Another object is the provision of a tubular air filled gasket which is capable of cushioning the closing of a refrigerator door and, after the door is closed, is capable of making and maintaining an effective seal and providing good heat insulation under low sealing pressures. A further object is the provision of such a gasket which substantially or completely eliminates abrasion or wrinkling at the hinged side of the refrigerator opening which provides good sealing. Another object is to provide such a gasket which can be manufactured at low cost, and which has excellent resiliency and recovery throughout a long life.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims, and from the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of a portion of the front hinged side of a refrigerator, showing the cabinet, the refrigerator door, and a gasket embodying and representing the best known mode of practicing the invention, the gasket being fixed to the refrigerator door and initially engaging the front face of the refrigerator cabinet as the door is being closed;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional elevation, similar to that of FIGURE 1 and to the same scale, showing the hinged side of the refrigerator with the door completely closed and the gasket compressed in sealing relation;

FIGURE 3 is another fragmentary horizontal sectional view of a portion of the front unhinged side of the same refrigerator, showing the door as fully closed and the gasket of FIGURES 1 and 2 in compressed sealing relation;

FlGURE 4 is a sectional view to an enlarged scale showing the cross section of the gasket of FIGURES l, 2 and 3 before installation;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional View, similar to that of FIG- URE 4 and to the same scale, showing the cross section of a modified form of gasket embodying the invention; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional View, similar to FIGURES 4 and 5 and to the same scale, showing the cross section of another modified form of a refrigerator gasket embodying the invention.

FIGURES l, 2 and 3 show portions of a conventional home refrigerator comprising a cabinet 1 and a door 2 hingedly supported at one edge of the cabinet by hinge means 3, shown in FIGURES l and 2, to swing horizontally about the vertical axis A. The door carries a gasket 4 embodying the invention. The refrigerator cabinet 1 is constructed in the usual manner with a thick layer of insulating material 5 covered by an outer sheet steel shell 6, and the door 2. is similarly constructed in the conventional manner with a relatively thick insulating layer '7 covered by an outer sheet steel shell 8.

The shell 6 of the cabinet I has a flat vertical wall portion ll. extending completely around the door opening to provide planar sealing surface 12 adapted to be engaged by the gasket 4 in sealing relation; the axis A of the hinge means is substantially offset from or spaced in front of this surface, as is apparent from FIGURES 1 and 2. The inner wall of the door shell 3 includes a flat outer peripheral portion 13 and a panel 14 which peripherally overlaps the latter. The wall portion 13 of the door shell 8 is substantially parallel to the wall portion 11 of the cabinet when the door is latched in its fully closed position, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. When the door is in this position, there is a relatively wide space between the wall portions 11 and 13 of the cabinet and door, which space may have a horizontal width of /2" or more in a standard size refrigerator.

A stiifening flange. 15 on door and the overlapping edges of the portions 13 and 14 are covered by and carry a sheet metal gasket-holding.

strip116 which extends entirelyf around the :door opening to hold the gasket 4 in place, ,The strip ,16 is held in place. byscrews 17 which are threadedinto and also .hold together the overlapping edgesof the metal wall portions 13' and 14.. The gasket-holding strip, 16. of uniform cross section, is flat fora major portionof its width, but has a rolled (Sr-flanged edge portion 18 of generally arcuate hook-shaped] cross section extending outwardly beyond the edge, of the wall panel portion-14 for clamping the gasket 4 in place. The rolled edge of the clamping strip provides achann'el which receives an edge bead formed integrally on the gasket," locks the latter in predetermined position onand relative. to the. door, as 'will appear; 1

Withtheexceptionofv the gasket 4, the refrigerator structure described above isconventional.

The gasket4 of the invention, of'which the cross sectionthroughout,itsElengthisshown enlarged in FIGURE 4, is shaped to functionelfectively and satisfy all require-v ments outlined. above whenmade inone piece as an exand integral with theportion V 13 of the door shell extendsttowardthe inside of thev ,Along each side edge of the curved wall 28 is a generally transversely extending downwardly inclined upper side wall portion 29 joined along a continuous common juncture at its inner edge to the curved wall 28 and to one of the branch walls 27; at its outer edge each upper sidewall portion is joined integrally to one of a pair of spaced 'equabwidth'lowcr sidewall portions 31. The lower edge of each of the wall portions 31 is afiixed integr'ally to the base 20, the ,walliportion extending upwardly from the base and preferably being inclined outwardly. Preferably, in cross section, developed width B of thecurved central or top sealing wall-28 isapproxi- "mately twice developed widthC ofeach of the equalwidth walls 29. a

transverselyextending upper-sidewall'portions 29. ,Moreover inthe preferred embodiment of FIGURE 4, developed width D of each of-the wall portions 31, and developedwidth E of each. ofthe walls27, in each case approximately equal to; the developed .width .C .of the In'the embodiment of FIGURE 4, the juncture between each upperaside wall'portion 2.9.and its associated lower-side walllportion 31 takes the form ofv an abrupt trusionofoneof thefpli'able polymeric materials generally V usedlfor refrigerator gaskets, such as homopolymers of vinyl 'chloride'fcopolymers. of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, polyethylene,polyurethane, or. similar extruded materials havingv the. necessary flexibility. Various rubbers andrubbery compositions may also bev used. 'The preferred pliable. gasket material is a flexible polyvinyl chloride composition embodying a suitable plasticizer and other compounding ingredients such as pigments, fillers, antioxidants, heat-and light stabilizers and the like as is went known in the art. The plasticizers preferably include. a monomeric plasticizer such asd-ioctylphthalate,

dioc tyl'adi pate or thel'ikej-and/ or a polymeric plasticizersuch as polyethylene sebacate orthe like. As used here-f inafter, the term. plastic. when applied to the material of whi'ch ,.the.. gasket is formed is intended to referto such materials; i V 7 FIGURE 4 shows: the extruded gasket of plasticized and compounded. polyvinyl chloride in its normal un- W between. each-associated pair of the'walls 29 and 31,

stressedfcondi'tion priorlto heing mounted on'the door 2.

Forconvenience in descriptionof the structure of this gask et, references to directions will be understood as referring tothis-figure. The gasket is of hollow'tubular construction and comprises a substantially flat, stifi' gen erally horizontal wall orbase 20 of substantial thickness, havingalong one edge a downwardly extending anchoring section 21 ofgenerally; Leshaped cross section'and along its other edge andspacedfrom the anchoring section, a downwardly extendin g generally inclined sealing flange 22 with its. outer edge generally in alignment with flat lower port ion, 23; of the anchoring section. This'lower portion 23 has on its underside several downwardly pro.-

jectingribs24adapted tobear insealing relation against the wallportion. 13 of the; door, and an upwardly pro-- jectingl relatively thick fastening: rib 25-adapted to. be I are all large angles; preferably, as shownin FIGURE 4, the angleU-is larger than the angles V' and W, which may approximate right angles andbeapproximately equal. Angles-'IL'V and vW are'usually greatly decreased when the gasket is compressed, as apparent from FIGURES 2 and 3,.theangles V and W being'usually'reduced to small acuate-angles. Since the uncompressedv shape of the gasket requiresa; large angle at each. of they angles.U,V and W, they aid greatly in providing resistance .to deformation necessary toeffect good. sealing on compression and to restore by inherent resiliency the origin'alzshape of the gasket when itis free of compressive fOl'CBS-- 5 The angle X included between thebranch walls 27, on the other hand, while .a. large angle, preferably is not larger than about aright angle, and may even be a large acute angle. When the gasket isv compressed, this angle X'isgreatly increased to a wide obtuse angle, as is apparent from FIGURES '2 and'3. The inherent tendency of the. diverging branch walls 27' to remain in, or to return to their original. positionin which the angle X is substantially-a right angle-also provides resistance todeformationnecess'ary for. the formation-of an effective seal, vprovides forces tending to maintain the arcuate shape of the wall 28, and provides forces restoring the original shape clamped the hook shaped portion 18 of the-gasket holding ;strip 16 to hold firmly the gasket 4 in place on the door,.. as,sho,wn in. FIGURES l to 3 inclusive.

The base20. of the gasket'4 supports a relatively thick, stitLupwardly projectingsubstantially vertical strut wall or rib 26, located-essentially midway of the width of the sealing portion of the gasket. This wall 26 has integrally formed'withit and supports two equal width generally upwardly extending and outwardly inclined divergent branch walls 27, which are thinner and substantially more flexible than thewall 26. Extending between and spanning the angle between the branchwalls 27 is a generally transversely extending .top or outer curved wall 28 having its convex sideextending upwardly beyondLthe distalends of the" divergent walls '27. This curved or sealing wall 2a is gthinneitzand isub'stantially "more flexible than the central supporting strut wall 26. i

.of the gasket when the door. is opened.

AngleY betweenthe'base and each lower side wall 31 are alsolarge angles, which preferably. do not depart greatly from right angles; In compression of the gasket, as is apparentfrom-FIGURES 2and 3, the angles Z and Y usual-1y :aresulbstantially enlarged. The tendencies of the walls between; which these angles are includedto return to the positionsin which the angles are of theirnormal smaller size provide desirableresistanceto deformation for sealing-purposesand also aid in providing desirable forces tending to restore the gasket to its original shape when it is freed of pressure. a 7

It is apparent that. the gasket of FIGURE 4 has three separate adjacent air chambers 33,734,35. of comparable substantially equal cross sectional areas, providing a large total volume of insulating-air space broken upfinto several .air cells; Consequently the gasket has excellentheat insulation properties; moreover, the air confined in each of the chambers exerts pressure on the boundary walls of the chambers when they are compressed in the closing of the refrigerator door, which pressure tends to maintain the sealing walls in good sealing engagement with the surface 12 of the wall portion 11 despite irregu- 'larities therein, and which pressure also tends to restore the gasket to its original shape when the door is opened. The gasket is selected for the spacing between the door and the cabinet and the hinge offset so as to assume approximately the shape shown in FIGURE 3, in the closed position of the door, along that side of the door which is remote from the hinge axis; there is substantially no transverse sliding or wiping movement of the gasket relatively to, and no wrinkling of the surface of the gasket in contact with, the wall portion 11 of the refrigerator cabinet as the refrigerator door closes.

At regions of the juncture between the door and cabinet of the refrigerator away from the hinged side of the refrigerator opening, the gasket 4 is subjected to compressive forces directed substantially perpendicular to the base as of the gasket, and not to any appreciable transverse forces; the condition of the gasket when it is in sealing engagement in such regions is illustrated in FIG- URE 3. It will be noted that the curved central portion 2% is flattened and in sealing engagement with the wall portion 11 of the cabinet, as are both upper side wall portions 29. The branch walls 27 are moved outwardly and flattened, as are the lower side walls 31. As was previously indicated, the angles U, V and W are substantially reduced, whereas the angles X, Y and Z are substantially increased. The resistance provided by the inherent resiliency of the gasket structure to such deformation eifectively aids in the sealing action, promotes restoration of the original shape of the gasket when and each time the cabinet door is opened, and inhibits the development of an undesirable permanent set in the gasket.

The action of the gasket in cushioning closing of a refrigerator door, sealing against passage of air and providing a heat barrier after the door has been closed, is illustrated in FIGURES l, 2 and 3. When the refrigerator door is closing, the outwardly curved central or top Wall 28 of the gasket first contacts the wall surface 12 of the refrigerator cabinet at the hinge side of the door opening, as shown in FIGURE 1. As the door swings further to its completely closed position, shown in FIG- URE 2, the gasket is subjected to the previously men tioned transverse forces. However, due to its construction, the gasket yields transversely while contriving to exert forces resiliently resisting distortion and compres sion, and thus providing a good seal.

The structure of the gasket thus prevents leakage of air or impairment of heat insulation properties which could result from wrinkling, or abrasion and wear, of the gasket at the hinge of the door on closing. The transverse distortion of the gasket at the hinge side of the refrigerator opening when the door is in its closed position does not prevent a good seal. There is a wide area of gasket making good sealing contact with the cabinet; thus, as shown in FIGURE 2, even though a portion of the normally outwardly curved top or central wall 28 of the gasket may not completely engage the surface 12 of the wall port-ion 11 of the refrigerator cabinet in sealing engagement due to the transverse deformation of the gasket, one of the upper transverse walls 29 contacts such surface in good sealing engagement in the vicinity of the hinges, thus aiding in the sealing action. Moreover, since the wall portions 28 and 29 are all relatively thin and flexible and are supported structurally by the branch walls 27 and the side walls 31, they readily conform to and make snug sealing engagement with the cabinet surface 12 despite irregularities in such surface; the outwardly curved arcuate top wall 28 provides particular benefits in this respect, since the curvature facilities fitting of the wall material over and into irregularities in the confronting surface of the wall portion 11.

The relatively stiflf wall 26 is not appreciably deformed when the gasket is compressed either at the hinged side of the door or elsewhere. In fact it acts as an upwardly projecting cantilever beam, which anchors the lower ends of the divergent branch walls 27 projecting from and integrally formed with the wall 26; the wall 26 aids in imparting forces to the walls 27 which resist deformation, improves sealing and restore the original shape of the gasket when it is released from compression. The branch walls 27 also act as truss members by exerting upwardly directed forces on the walls 28 and 29, which together form a generally transversely extending top wall of the gasket when the gasket is compressed under either of the conditions shown in FIGURES 2 and 3; the tendency of these walls 27 to remain in or to return to their original undistorted positions thus is an important factor in maintaining an effective seal and in restoring the gasket to its original shape. Furthermore, the fact that both of these walls are anchored together at their lower ends to the common wall 26 also permits the walls 27 in effect to pivot about the point or along their axis of anchoring so that the gasket can yield to transverse forces sufiiciently to avoid undesirable wrinkling or abrasion at the hinged side of the refrigerator opening; this yielding action is also facilitated because the lower side walls 31 are relatively thin and flexible, are anchored to the base 20 for relative bending or pivoting about points 37.

It will be apparent that the advantages of gaskets embodying the invention will be most fully realized if the gasket size and shape is selected in view of the space present between the door and the cabinet of the refrigerator, and the amount of the hinge offset.

Thus, FIGURE 5 shows another form of gasket embodying the invention which in all respects is similar to that of FIGURE 4 except that stiff wall portion 26a and lower side portions 31a are shallower and narrower, respectively, than the corresponding walls in the embodiment of FIGURE 4. This dimensional variation enables this gasket to be used in a refrigerator in which there is a relatively narrow spacing between the inner surfaces of the door and the front surface 12 of the cabinet. The gasket of FIGURE 5 otherwise operates in a similar manner to that of FIGURE 4 and possesses similar advantages.

The gasket of FIGURE 6 is designed for a refrigerator having a greater space between the inner surface of the door and the front surface 12 of the cabinet than the refrigerator of FIGURES l3. This gasket of FIGURE 6 is similar to that of FIGURES 4 and 5 except that the strut wall portion 26b and the lower side Wall portions 31b are deeper or wider than in either of the preceding embodiments. The gasket of FIGURE 6 is similar in all other respects to, operates similarly to, and has the advantages of the gasket of FIGURE 4.

Various other modifications may be made; for example, while two branch walls 27 are included in each of the illustrative embodiments, a different number of'such Walls may be employed. The height and thickness dimensions of the central wall 26, 26a or 26b may be different than those illustrated. While the upper side walls 29 and the lower side walls 31, 31a and 3111 have been shown as substantially flat, which is preferable, it is apparent that they may be somewhat curved if desired. Preferably the thickness of the walls 28, 29 and 31 in FIGURE4, and the thickness of the corresponding walls in the other figures are approximately equal. While the thickness of the branch walls 27 may be equal to the thickness of walls 28, 23 or 31, it is preferable that they be slightly thicker to aid in the cantilever truss action, to exert outwardly directed forces on the walls 28 and 29 of the deformed or compressed gasket.

The present invention thus provides a one piece extrudaole gasket which in its preferred form incorporates a. relatively thick or heavy sectioned cantilever strut memfawsms ber centered'on, anchored to andrunning' longitudinally to the base member. The strut memberis flanked 'in spacedrelation' by sidewalls ofrelatively thin section each comprising-angularlydisposedup'per andlower por tions. The bottom edges of the lower portions are anchored to-the' base member along lines paralleling,

spaced from and. on opposite sides of the strut member anchorage; the topedgcs of the two upper side walls portions are respectively joined tothe upper-edgesof a'pair 7 and the oblique branch walls along common juncture lines.- -Thus a multi-cell' arrangement is provided, the

cells running continuously throughout the length of the gasket'in'side by siderelation, each cell being contiguous to all-or both of theother cells. The central cell is spaced abovethe'base by the height be the strut member and,

under normal compression of thegasket, the 'strutmember resists complete collapse of the side cells. However, to preventpinched fingers and damage to the refrigerator or gasket the strut memberyields under extreme forces to allow complete collapse of the gasket. l

Those skilled'in the art will appreciatethat the ments shown are. for purposes ofexplanation and illustration and that; various other changes andmodifications can be made in-the disclosedembodiments ofthe invenembodition without departing from the spirit and'the scope thereof. The essential; characteristics} of' the invention are described 'inthe-appended claims. 7

1. A hollow-flexible sealing gasket for refrige ators or the like. having a uniform cross section-throughoutits length, said gasket being formed of plastic material and comprising inits normal unstressed con'ditiona relatively stitf 'base' mer'nber; two spaced side walls extending up:- wardly from said base member and integrally joined therewith at their l'oweredgesalong spaced parallel-juncture lines, said sidewalls being 'substantially moreflexible 1 than said base member; a single wall fixed to and project'- ing upwardly from said base member at a location sub.-

stantiallymidway between said sidewalls, said upwardly projecting wall being substantially stiffer than said side wallsand stiff enough to resist deformation laterally relative to said base member; two upwardly'diverging walls fixed attheir lower edge portions along a common juncture line to the upper portion of said stitfiwall; a top walljextending between the upper edges of said diverging walls and between thexupper edges of the side walls,,said top wall along one of'its edges having one-common juncture with side wall on one side of the stifi walland with one of' the divergent walls and having along another of its edges another common juncture with the side wall on the other of the sidewalls includes angularly disposed portions 7 having a junctureline paralleling. and spaced'from the common juncture line.

3. YA hollow 'flexible'sealinggasket for refrigerators or the like having a uniform cross'section throughout its comprising in its normal unstressed condition a relatively stitf. elongated base member; two; spaced essentially flat outwardly-diverging side walls extending upwardly from said base member and integrallyjoined therewith at their lower-edges along essentially parallel lines, said side walls being substantially more flexible than said base member; a single wall fixed to and projecting upwardly from said base member at a location substantially midway between said side walls, the stiffness of: said upwardly projecting wall approximating that of said base member; two spaced essentially flat, divergent, upwardly extending, internal walls disposed'between said side walls with their lower edges fixed to said stiff upwardly projecting wall at a location above said base member and having their upper edge portions spaced apart by a distance" considerably greater tha'n the distance between their lower edge portions, said upwardly extending internal 'walls'beingsub- I stantially' more flexible than said base member and said upwardly projecting stilt wall; an upwardl y projecting generally curved top wallflextendingbetween the upper edge portions orsaid upwardly extendinginternalwalls, said wall l being substantially more flexible than said base member; and essentially flat generally transversely extendingwalls each between the upper edge portionof one of said side walls and the upper edge portion'of' an adjacent internal wall, each of said generally transversely extend ing walls being substantially more flexible than said base member and said stiff upwardly projecting wall.

4. A gasketforeffecting'a sealbetween-parts such as a door and a door frame of a refrigerator cabinet, said gasket comprising a pliable plastic. hollow tubular extrusion of uniform section having a generally flat base member adapted to. be attached to one of the parts, a pair of side walls integrally joined to the base member along spaced parallel connection lines and extending upwardly therefrom, a single strut wall joined to the base member along a strip intern'iediatev and'spaced from both of said connection lines, said strut wall projecting upwardly from said base member and being substantially stiffer than said sidewalls and stiff enough tore'sist deformation laterally relative to said base memben'a pair of internal walls integrally .joined' to the strut wall along a common juncture spaced above and parallelingsaid intermediate strip, said internal walls extending 'upwardly from the juncture in divergentangular' relation and each having an upper edge spaced above and parallelin g'the juncture, said strut wall constituting the sole connection between the internal walls and thatportion of the baseme'mb'er located between said connection lines of the side. walls, a top central wall spanning the angle between the internal walls and joined to the latter along their upper edges, and transverse walls spaced above the base and connected one between the upper portions of one of the internal and one of the side walls and another between the upper portions of the other of the internal andthe other of the side walls.

5. A hollow sealing gasket for refrigerators or the like,

' said gasketbeing formedof flexible, resilient plastic matelength, said gasketbeing formed of plastic material and V and comprisingiri its unstressed condition" a relatively stiff longitudinallyextending base member,

two external side walls v a l is having loweredges integrally joined, to the base member along spaced parallel lines of connec- .tion, V said side walls extending upwardly fromthe base member in spaced relation "to one another, an upstanding'strut wall extending longitudinally of the base member and integrally connected to it along a line of connection located between',.parallel to and spaced from said side wall connection lines, two internal walls disposed in the space between the ,sidewalls, iv

' the lower edges'ofsaid internal walls and said strut wallbeing integrally joined together along a common longitudinally extending juncture parallel' to the connection lines of the sidewalls,

rial withinuniform crossfsection] throughout "its length said strut wall being substantially stiffer than each of said internal walls to resist lateral deflection;

said internal walls extending upwardly from said common juncture in divergent relation to one another in the provision of an internal angle;

each or" said side and said internal walls being substantially more flexible than said base member;

said side and internal walls each having an upper edge spaced above and parallel to the base member and parallel to the upper edges of the others of said side and internal Walls;

a top wall spaced above the base member and extending between the upper edges of the side walls,

said top wall being integrally connected to and forming angles with the upper edges of the internal walls;

said walls and base member defining continuous cells extending longitudinally of the gasket,

one cell being located in said angle between the internal walls and two side cells being located one between one of the internal walls and one of the side walls and the other between the other of the internal walls and the other of the side walls, and

said cells each being defined in part by a portion of the top wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 HARRISON R. MOSEL'EY, Primary Examiner.

N. ANSHER, Examiner. 

1. A HOLLOW FLEXIBLE SEALING GASKET FOR REFRIGERATORS OR THE LIKE HAVING A UNIFORM CROSS SECTION THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH, SAID GASKET BEING FORMED OF PLASTIC MATERIAL AND COMPRISING IN ITS NORMAL UNSTRESSED CONDITION A RELATIVELY STIFF BASE MEMBER; TWO SPACED SIDE WALLS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE MEMBER AND INTEGRALLY JOINED THEREWITH AT THEIR LOWER EDGES ALONG SPACED PARALLEL JUNCTURE LINES, SAID SIDE WALLS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FLEXIBLE THAN SAID BASE MEMBER; A SINGLE WALL FIXED TO AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE MEMBER AT A LOCATION SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID UPWARDLY PROJECTING WALL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STIFFER THAN SAID SIDE WALLS AND STIFF ENOUGH TO RESIST DEFORMATION LATERALLY RELATIVE TO SAID BASE MEMBER; TWO UPWARDLY DIVERGING WALLS FIXED AT THIER LOWER EDGE PORTION ALONG A COMMON JUNCTURE LINE TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID STIFF WALL; A TOP WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID DIVERGING WALLS AND BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID WALLS, SAID TOP WALL ALONG ONE OF TIS EDGES HAVING ONE COMMON JUNCTURE WITH SIDE WALL ON ONE SIDE OF THE STIFF WALL AND WITH ONE OF THE DIVERGENT WALLS AND HAVING ALONG ANOTHER OF ITS EDGES ANOTHER COMMON JUNCTURE WITH THE INSDE WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STIFF WALL AND WITH THE OTHER OF THE DIVERGENT WALLS, SAID TOP AND DIVERGENT WALLS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE FLEXIBLE THAN THE STIFF WALL AND THAN SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID WALLS DEFINING LONGITUDINALLY CONTINUOUS CELLS, ONE CELL BEING LOCATED IN THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE DIVERGENT WALLS, AND TWO SIDE CELLS BEING LOCATED ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE STIFF WALL, THE SIDE CELLS EACH BEING CONTIGUOUS TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO THE ONE CELL. 